This article explains the five times of obligatory prayer (salah) along with their beginning and ending times, accompanied by Qur'anic verses and hadith proofs.
The Times for Performing Obligatory Prayer With Their Proofs
Obligatory prayer (salah) is known as mandatory prayer, meaning the five daily prayers that Allah ordained within a day and night, which were legislated in the 11th year of the Prophet Muhammad's mission or the year 621 CE when he was taken on the Night Journey (Mi'raj). Therefore, prayer is also called the Mi'raj of the Muslim community.
In the Qur'an, Allah explains that the prescribed prayer has specific times as Allah says:
Indeed, prayer is a duty prescribed upon the believers at appointed times (Qur'an 4:103)
Therefore, as a Muslim, one should pray at its prescribed time, because this is the deed most loved by the Prophet. As the following hadith states:
From Ibn Mas'ud, he said: I asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) which deed is most loved by Allah? The Prophet answered: prayer at its appointed time. Sahih al-Bukhari (Book of Prayer: 504).
These appointed times are five, as found in the following verses and hadith:
Establish prayer at the two ends of the day and at the approach of the night (Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha). Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds. That is a remembrance for those who remember. (Qur'an 11:115)
Establish prayer from the decline of the sun until the darkness of the night, and (recite) the Qur'an at dawn. Indeed, the recitation of dawn is ever witnessed. (Qur'an 17:78)
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The time of Dhuhr is when the sun has passed its zenith until the shadow of a person is as long as their height, that is before the time of Asr arrives. The time of Asr is before the sun turns yellow, and the time of Maghrib is while the red glow (shafaq) or red clouds have not yet disappeared. The time of Isha prayer is until the middle of the second half of the night, and the time of Fajr is from the break of dawn until the sun rises. If the sun has risen, stop praying, for it rises between the horns of Shaytan. Sahih Muslim (Book of Prayer Times: 1419)
The times of obligatory prayer are concluded to be:
The time of Dhuhr prayer begins from when the sun passes its zenith until the shadow of something equals its height. According to the hadith from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Gabriel came to lead me in prayer at the side of the Kaaba twice. The first time, he prayed Dhuhr when the shadow was like a sandal strap. He prayed Asr when the shadow of an object equaled its height. He prayed Maghrib when the fasting person breaks his fast. He prayed Isha when the red glow had disappeared. He prayed Fajr with me when eating and drinking became forbidden for the fasting person. Then Gabriel came again to pray Dhuhr a second time. He prayed Dhuhr when the shadow of an object equaled its height. He prayed Asr when the shadow of an object was twice its height. He prayed Maghrib as it was at the first prayer time (when the fasting person breaks his fast). He prayed Isha when a third of the night had passed. And he prayed Fajr when the earth became reddish. Then he turned to me and said, 'O Muhammad, this is the time of prayer for the prophets before you, and the time is between these two times.' (Reported by Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, and others)
The time of Asr prayer begins from when the time of Dhuhr ends (as mentioned in the hadith above) until sunset. From Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Whoever prays one rak'ah of Fajr before the sun rises has obtained it, and whoever prays Asr before the sun sets has obtained it. (Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim)
The time of Maghrib prayer begins from sunset (as mentioned in the hadith above) until the red light disappears when the sun has set. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The time of Maghrib prayer is before the disappearance of the red glow (shafaq). (Reported by Muslim)
The time of Isha prayer begins after the red glow in the sky has disappeared (as mentioned in the hadith above) until the true dawn breaks (the second dawn). From Abi Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
One who oversleeps is not considered to have neglected prayer. Indeed, neglect is when one does not perform prayer until the time of the next prayer arrives. (Reported by Muslim)
Fajr prayer begins from the break of true dawn, which is the second dawn (as mentioned in the hadith above) until sunrise.
From Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever prays one rak'ah of Fajr before the sun rises has obtained it. (Reported by Muslim)
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